Precipitating system



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April l, 1930. A. G. McGREGOR PRECIPITATING SYSTEM med May 4, 192s April 1, 193i). A. G. McGREGoR PREGIPITATING SYSTEM Filed May 4, 1928 Sheets-Sheet 2 grammatically one v 35 ance with the' invention; in the drawing 45 constructedin concrete wo Patented pr.' 1, 1930 "francrrrrnfrrue eterni: appunti@ aldea lmiyi, 192s'. sei-m1' no. avance.;

invention comprises` improvements in\end nearly to the other into allow-chan- 'precipitation systems and is concerned` with a processand apparatus primarily `intended. for precipitating copper from a copper sul- 5 phate solution byV contactwith iron,but it is to,v I be understood that the process and apparatus'- described could be used for precipitation of'l A other metals from solutions, for example by 1 replacement by metals other than iron with-v out departing from the spirit of this invention. v

The invention, broadly speaking, contemplates the employment of a battery of pre- 4cipitatin launders connected in series withone anot er and meanswhereby new solutions may enter lsaid series at anyl desired tank of the series at :will and l t en SA pass through the other remainin tanks in the series andl away therefrom. revision may be made whereby one or more tanks maybe cut Y out of the series for cleaning or for removal A, of precipitated ,copper or the likeand for re` placement of the precipitating contact"bodyil The invention moreover comprises a' proc-l ess for the precipitation of metals from liq:

nids by contact with a precipitating body wherein successive batches of the precipitating body are disposedv ina series'of graduated age and the liquid is assed rst to the oldest batch of prec1pita body and thence successively through batches of decreasing age to the newest batch thereof. l

. The accompanyin drawing illustrates diefl rm of plant in accord-v Figure 1 is a plan of the plant r Figure 2 is a longitudinal section upon the l line 2, 2 of Figure 1, and l The lant comprises a battery of v tating aunders, numbered serially 11 to 19 inclusive, upont e drawing) disposed'fside byfside.- These launders may conveniently be vas a whole'may be given a slight vfalllr'om one end to the other, as indicated in Figure 2 at 20, to facilitate the ilowof li uids. I Eachv ofthe launders is sub-divided, ya central j longitudinal baille 21 which extendsfrom'one gure 3 isa cross-section to a larger scale.' 40 upon the line 3,'3 ofFigure 1.A i precipiand the battery` Vdelivering it thereto.

nel 22 and a return-channel`23. .A deliverypipe 24 for copper solution' extends alongside `the ends of the launders and is provided with `branches 25 controlled by valves. 26. The

branches 25 deliver into thel end ofeach of the How-channels 22A andthe "pipe 24 therefore constitutes a liquid-delivery manifold conduit provided with deliver. ,-connections to the end of each of the flow-c annels and control means therefor. v

Between the end of each of the returnl channels 23 and ofthe flow-channels 22 of the adjacent launder in the battery there is provided a assage 27 vwhich can be closed when desired y inserting a gate 28. .The last vlaunder 419 of the battery is connected by its passage 27 with a sum 29. Thesump 29 is connected to a centri ugal Apuinpv30 which delivers-to a return-pipe 31v having connec` tions through valves 32, 33with the launders i 12 and 11 respectively at the other'end of the i battery'. f a' the manifold pipe 24 there extends a liquid- '37 extends along the other ends ofthe launders and is connected to eachof the channels 22, 23 by means of asuitable'op'ening in the wall of the launders'.v A drainage gutter 38 is formed inthe bottom of eachv` of the chanl nels 22, 23 and-opens into conduit 37 a vOver .the apparatus'l describedt-here vex- Along the ends of launders adjacent to vcollection channel 34. v,This is'connected by -tendsa parallel'crane, indicated v-diagram- 'i mati'cally at 40, provided with a grab bucket 41. The working areav of the parallel crane covers the-whole of the laundersdescribed o and also the apparatus at the end of the battery of lau-nders for dealing with the pre# cifpitated material. The bucket 41 is capable o. picking up material,l either precipitated copper or scrap iron., vfrom the launders or The apparatus `for dealing with the precip- I i delivers to a rotatable screen43 provided with an internal water-spray 44. Below the screen is a chute 45 to receive precipitated copper passing through the meshes of the screen and deliver it to a hopper' 46 (Figure 1). At the end of the screen is a chute 47 for delivering scrap iron to a receptacle 48.

In the operation of the process liquid from which metal is to be precipitated, for example copper sulphate solution, enters the plant, as shown bythe arrow A, Figure l, land is delivered to one of the launders, say 15, through a branch 25 of the pi e 24, as indicated by ar'- row B. Through t e launder it flows along the How-channel 22, and return-channel 23 and thence passes by the passage 27 to the nextlaunder16 as indicated by the arrow C.

- of the series 15 being The flow proceeds" in' asimilar manner in series through the other laundersto the end launder 19 whence it is'collected by the centrifugal pump 30 and delivered tothe launder 11. From here it passes through the remaining launders in series until its reaches launder 13 from whence it passes into the liquid collection manifold 34 and thus the exhausted solution is withdrawn from the plant. Each of the launders 15 to 19 and 11 to 13 is lled with scrap iron, the iron in the rst launder the oldest (and therefore the most covere with precipitated copper) while the iron in the lastlaunder 13 of the series is the newest. It will be noted that by means of the gates 28, 36 the launder 14 is cut out of service under these conditions and this enables itto be drained, emptied Jof precipitated copper and refilled with fresh iron. The precipitated copper is picked up by the bucket 41 of. the travelling crane 40 and deposited in the hopper 42. The revolving grizzly 43 separates the copper from remaining portions of scrap iron mixed with it and the scrap iron is delivered to the recepf tacle 48. When the launder 14 has been conipletely emptied it is again filled, partly with to-the balance, by fresh material. When the launder 14 has been refilled with fresh iron,

it is brought into operation by removing the gate'36 and the gate 27`which separates it from the launder 13. At the same time the launder 15 is cut out of operation by pro er manipulation of the gates and valve 26 elonging to it, so that it, in its turn, may be emptied and refilled. Proceeding in this way, the whole of` the launders may bqe emptied and refilled in turn and the other` launders of the series remain in operation during the emptying and refilling'. The purpose of the provision of a valve 32 between the return-pipe 31 and the launder 12 is to enable circulation t o be kept up during the disability or elimination of the end launder 11 of the battery.

The plant described oifers considerable advantages both in initial cost and in leiliciency deliver liquid from launder to series, means to deliver liquid from one end'I launder of the battery to the other so that the series is closed, means to interru t the delivery .of liquid from launder to aunder be` .tween an desired pair of launders, means to "Y nel of the adjacent launder.

4. 'A battery of .precipitating laundersl con-` taining iron of various ages and .connected in series with one another, means for directingv j of operation over plants hitherto knownfor the same purpose.

I claim 1. Plant for the battery of precipitating launders means to deliveiliquid to any desired launderin the series and means todraw liquid oi from any so U other desired launder -in theseries `at will.`

2. Plant for the' precipitation of metals from liquids comprising in combination a battery of precipitating launders side by side, a longtudinal baille in 'each launder to divide it into flow and return channels, ali uiddelivery manifold conduit providedwit de4 livery connections and control means therefor to the end of each said flow-channel', a liquidcollection manifold conduit provided with connections and control means therefor to the uid from the last launder of the battery and returning it to the first launder thereof.

3. Plant for the precipitation of metals from liquids comprising in combination a battery of precipitating launders Iside by side, a'longitudinal bailie in' each launder to divide it into iow and return channels, a liq uid-'delivery manifold conduit providedwith delivery connections and control means therey I for tothe end .of eachA said flow-channel, a

liquidcollection manifold conduit provided"w precipitation of metals .i from liquids, comprising' in combination atm aunder inf,

with" connections and control means thereforVv I return channel and the end of the ilow chanli uid iii-st throu h the tank containin the series, the solutionleaving the series from the tank containing the newest iron, a' tank between the ones containing the oldest iron and the newest iron cut out of the solution circuitfor the removal ofthe copper and to the, ol est iron, thent rough .the tank containing the next oldest iron, and so on to the end of to the end of each said return channel, and Apassages for liquid between the end of each f 1 l iso receiving a new charge of iron, and means whereby the solution circuit may be changed and the solution-enteriithe series may be made' to enter the ta which'. was just `previously the second tank .traversed by izisA the solution and the solution may be made to leave the series after passing through the tank just filled with iron.

, ist

5. A process for the precipitation of metals from liquids by contact with a precipltating body wherein successive batches of recipitating body are disposed in 'a series o graduated ave, and the liquid is passed first to theoldestbatch of precipitating body and thence successively through batches of decreasing age to the newest batch thereof.

6. A process for the precipitation of metals from liquids as claimed in claim 5 wherein when the oldest batch of recipitating body is exhausted it is removed rom the series anda fresh batch of said body is added at the other end of the series. I

7. A process for the precipitation of copper from solutions thereof by contact with iron wherein successive batches of iron are disposed in a series of graduated age, and the liquid is passed first to the oldest batch of iron and thence successively through batches of decreasing age to the newest batch thereof.

8. A process for the precipitation of copper from solutions thereof by contact with iron as claimed in claim 7 wherein when the oldest batch of iron is exhausted it is removed from the series and a fresh batch of iron is added at the other end of the series.

9. A process for the precipitation of metals from liquids by contact with a precipitating body wherein-successive batches of precipitating body are disposed in series in graduated age, the liquid is passed first to the oldest batch of precipitating body and'thence successively throu h batches of decreasing age to the newest batc thereof, and as precipitation progresses fresh batches of precipitating body are disposed at one end of the series and old batches cut out from the other whereby each batch is progressively treated with solution of increasing strength.

10. A process or the precipitation of metals from liquids by contact with the pre cipitating body wherein solutions of progressively increasing stren th are successively applied to the precipitatlng body for the purpose of more effectively securing precipitation thereon.

In testimon whereof I affix my signature. ALEXAND R GRANT MCGREGOR. 

